Peter Uihlein’s opening round couldn’t have gotten off to a better start on Thursday, when he birdied three of his first six holes on TPC Summerlin’s back nine. From there he was able to ride the momentum all the way home, making six more birdies and just one bogey to post a 63.
Friday went a little differently, as Uihlein made bogey at the par-4 second and wound up going out in even-par 35. But he patiently waited for the birdies to come, and they did on the back nine, where he finished with a five-under 31 to fire a second-round 66, which puts him in the solo lead at 13-under 129 through 36 holes of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.
“I just kept trying to hit fairways and greens, get a bit more stable with it, I guess,” said Uihlein, who has hit 32 of 36 greens this week, tied for the second most in the field. “Made an unbelievable par on six, which kind of righted the ship, and then after that I was pretty efficient, hit a lot of fairways, lot of greens. I felt like if I just did that I’d give myself a lot of chances the hole would eventually open up and the ball would start going in.”
The ball went in often on his final seven holes, five of which he birdied, though many were relatively stress-free. Only one of those birdies came from more than six feet, a 21-footer at the par-3 14th, a hole he’s birdied two straight days. Despite this being his first time at TPC Summerlin, he’s quickly become a fan of the golf course.
“I just like it, there’s a lot of holes that set up well for my fade, which I predominantly play. There’s a lot of good sight lines with some good bunker placements and my distance control with my irons has been very good this week. So I’ve been able to kind of have a more stress-free two days, which is nice.”
Uihlein will have to hold off some of the world’s best on the weekend, including Bryson DeChambeau, who also went 35-31 on Friday to post a 66 and get to 10-under 132. Jordan Spieth and Sanderson Farms winner Cameron Champ are also within striking distance, sitting in a tie for eighth at eight-under 134.
Up-to-the-minute leaderboard and other scoring information for the 2018 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada, Nov. 1-4, 2018
